Great Grannies: A story of friendship and important places

Community halls are familiar spaces that are the focal point of many tiny towns in rural NSW. A safe space to meet and gossip, to cry, to provide – inspiring love for something much more than a just a building and dedication to its upkeep. Yet the cost of maintaining these buildings can be upwards of $8,000 every year, and many unpaid hours of labour. The halls are so much more than a room to run a bake sale. CWA branches first started holding their meetings in these halls in 1922. They were building a network to support women and children isolated on rural properties and in country towns.

This video captures members of the Collie NSW branch of the Country Women's Association talking about what their hall means to them. In 2015 the branch received a $5,000 grant to make safety upgrades to the hall.